Lipsticks are great and all, but sometimes you're just looking for hydration, light coverage and minimal touch-ups. Enter: tinted lip balm. But times have changed since the glossy Lip Smackers you begged your mom for as a kid, and this do-it-all lippy is all grown up. From drugstore classics to luxury brands, here are 25 tinted lip balm shades we’re currently loving.
25 Shades of Tinted Lip Balm We’re Currently Loving
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1. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm In Rose
The balm has 100 percent natural ingredients (thanks to the shea butter component) and is free of parabens and petrolatum. It glides on like butter and leaves behind a hint of red.
2. Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment In Rose
Who doesn’t love a triple threat? Fresh’s sugar and grapeseed oil ingredients help bring back moisture while the SPF component protects your lips from the sun (for about six hours). And all of the shades are nice and sheer, making it a year-round essential. (And BTW, it's also a Meghan Markle fave.)
3. Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm In Cherry Me
One of the OG lip balms (and over 3,000 reviews on Amazon would agree), this formula has been a staple in keeping lips soft, shiny and smooth (without being sticky and glossy) for years. Plus, there are a ton of other tinted colors to choose from in addition to this natural, healthy red shade.
$3 on Amazon
4. Buxom Powerplump Lip Balm In Big O
The moisturizing and plumping ingredients make for a combo that keeps your lips hydrated and full all day. Swipe it on and watch your PH balance go to work creating a light pink shade that's customized to your own lips.
BUY IT ($18)
6. Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balm In Berry
The natural fruit oils bring out the sheer color along with an added fragrance to have your lips smelling like berries. The application replicates a crayon to make it easy to glide on your lips with no problem, and it even has SPF 20 to keep your pout healthy and protected.
7. Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips
Vaseline has always been used for keeping lips soft and smooth, so it's no surprise it added a rosy lips product to the collection that deposits a soft pink tint (along with the other usual benefits).
9. Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm In Mega Melon
A combo of mango and shea butter makes this formula super soft and smooth to apply. In addition to having enriching ingredients, the chubby stick is 100 percent fragrance-free and works to nourish lips with the most subtle sheen.
11. Glossier Balm Dotcom In Berry
We know Glossier features some of our beauty faves (Boy Brow, Milky Cleanser, to name a few), so it’s no surprise that the balm is one of the top-rated products online (with over 2,000 positive reviews and counting). The multipurpose balm (can also be used on lids and cheeks) is filled with antioxidants and natural emollients for long-lasting moisture.
12. Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint In Sugared Fig
The fatty acids, avocado oil and coconut oil make this lip balm a hydrating choice. There are five shades to choose from to give your lips a sheer tint, and we’re partial to Sugared Fig for its tinted purple hue. It’s also 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free.
14. Jane Iredale Lipdrink Lip Balm In Peachy Pink
This stick works to provide a protective shield from the sun (and also has a refreshing lemon flavor). Its SPF 15 benefit has been recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation as an effective broad-spectrum sunscreen, so this balm is no joke. Its combo of waxes and oils makes it hydrating and light.
15. Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner In Shell Shock
Unlike other balms that have a limited selection of tinted colors, Ilia has 12 options to choose from to give your lips a splash of color. This shade in particular gives you a nice coral shine (and turns darker with more coats). It has the shape and glide of lipstick, but all the benefits of a lip balm that makes it an easy, on-the-go applicator. It’s 85 percent organic, cruelty-free and gluten-free.
BUY IT ($28)
16. Coola Suncare Mineral Liplux Organic Tint Lip Balm
The balm protects, nourishes and conditions your lips, but the shade names alone will have you hitting the "add to cart" button, like “Firecracker,” “Bonfire” and “Summer Crush.” Firecracker will remind you of summer (minus the sun rays thanks to its 30 SPF protection).
BUY IT ($18)
17. Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Tint-in-balm In Tempt Me Pink
The mix of macadamia, apricot butters, plus passionfruit, coriander and jojoba oils makes this "hybrid lipstick" a nourishing go-to choice. The heart shape middle provides all the benefits of a balm while the other core brings out a vivid yet transparent color.
20. Kosasport Lipfuel In Pulse
The combination of konjac root and hyaluronic acid helps seal in moisture and heal lips from environmental stressors (aka cold winters or hot summers). The balm comes in three shades, but each one leaves a mint scent to soothe and hydrate lips. The Pulse color is no bubblegum pink, but a light shade to enhance your natural lip color.
21. Pat Mcgrath Lip Fetish Lip Balm In Nude Astral
If anyone says that lip balms are boring, just introduce them to Pat McGrath. This line of lip products includes balms with satin finishes and balms with shimmer—perfect for a low-maintenance night out. The Astral line (in Gold, Blue Star, Nude and Bronze) may look like lipstick, but they leave a hydrating finish with just one swipe.
22. Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm In Lychee Fruit
Thanks to this vegan lip balm’s avocado, acai and pomegranate oils, the balm works to keep lips soft and smooth. After the first application, the tint color (up to seven choices) locks in for up to six hours.
24. Covergirl Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Tinted Lip Balm In Caramel
The blend of grapeseed oil and avocado butter keeps lips feeling soft and smooth all week long. The Colorlicious collection features light, sheer tints like Caramel, that are perfect from day to night.